State of Wisconsin Archives: on Budget & Economy

Tonight, I propose a Blueprint for Prosperity, which will continue to improve our economy, while preserving our strong fiscal standing. Specifically, I ask you to work with me over the next few weeks to return the vast majority of the new surplus
directly to the hard-working taxpayers of Wisconsin and to add more than $100 million to the state's rainy day fund. As it has over the past few years, lowering the tax burden will contribute to a stronger economy and a better fiscal situation in the
future.

Our Blueprint for Prosperity will put more than $800 million back into the hands of the hard-working taxpayers all across the state through tax cuts and withholding changes. Once passed, the total tax relief provided since I took office
will be roughly $2 billion.

We will reduce property taxes by $406 million.

We will reduce income taxes by $98.6 million.

We have adjusted withholding for state income taxes by $322.6 million.

Source: 2014 State of the State Address to Wisconsin legislature
Jan 22, 2014

Tommy Thompson:
Balanced budget is first priority

If elected to the U.S. Senate, Thompson said one of the first needs he would support is "a balanced budget. I'd also ask every federal agency to reduce spending by 5 percent and give the Secretaries who run those departments the authority to do
away with programs that weren't working."

Baldwin, if elected, "would end the war in Afghanistan, make it illegal for drug companies to profit from Medicare Part D, get rid of corporate welfare for big farms and big oil."

Tommy Thompson:
Tax-and-spend policies are out of the mainstream

Thompson opened the debate by labeling his opponent Tammy Baldwin "a taxer and a spender." He accused her of being out of the mainstream and failing to produce any changes in Washington. "Baldwin doesn't have a record to run on, so all she can
do is try to get people not to like me," Thompson said.

Tommy Thompson:
Full audit of the Federal Reserve

Scott Walker:
Growth agenda: ease tax burden & regulatory burden

Q: Will you raise taxes, or cut state spending to close the budget shortfall gap?

WALKER: Clearly, Wisconsin faces a major challenge. We're going to push a growth agenda. It's about our focus in creating 250,000 jobs. The states that have lowered the
cost of doing business, by easing their tax burden, easing their regulatory and litigation burden, gets you not only more job growth in the past couple of years, they've actually seen greater revenues coming in as more people are working. So part of our
agenda is to cut the costs of doing business and getting more people working. On top of that, it's clear we're going to have to reduce state spending. To me, one of the prime examples is we can't have the public employees being the have's and the
taxpayers who foot the bill being the have-nots. So I'm going to ask more of public employees, simple things like asking state workers to make the employee contributions to the pension system, 5%, exactly what the national average is.

Scott Walker:
Eliminating collective bargaining created $154M surplus

For a moment Thursday, the campaign returned to the issue that sparked the historic recall in the first place. The two rivals spent the first 15 minutes of the debate sparring over the governor's decision to eliminate collective bargaining rights for
public employees.

Walker framed his budget bill as a bold but necessary action taken to get the state's finances in order and pointed to a $154 million surplus and the addition of 23,000 jobs this year as evidence his reforms had already produced
results. "The mayor has said repeatedly throughout the primary he wants go to back and restore collective bargaining," Walker noted.

Barrett acknowledged as governor he would restore collective bargaining rights, but pushed back on the assertion that
he would be a pawn of the unions. "The difference is I'll allow them to be at the table. He doesn't even want to have a conversation with them. They know that I'm not a pushover, but the difference is I respect them to be at the table," he said.

Tom Barrett:
Put Madison on a diet: trim budget without raising taxes

Q: Wisconsin faces major budget shortfalls in the coming years. Will you raise taxes, or cut state spending to close the gap?

BARRETT: It's true that we have a pending budget deficit of $2.7 billion. So this is not the time to raise taxes. It is
certainly the time to cut state spending and I've put forth a plan to put Wisconsin and Madison on a diet. That includes consolidating the ability for local and state employees to purchase health insurance, eliminating the office of Secretary of
State, and cracking down on Medicaid fraud. Those are places where I know we can cut spending and that's what I'm looking for. In terms of taxes, I'm not looking to raise any taxes because I think particularly in the first budget, our focus has to be
on doing everything we can to get our budget under control.

WALKER: We're going to push a growth agenda, by easing their tax burden, easing their regulatory and litigation burden

John Schiess:
Get rid of federal reserve system

Candidate John Schiess says the last time he ran for US Senate was 28 years ago. "And my platform hasn't changed--get rid of federal reserve system and department of education and get rid of the communist
United Nations, it's a trojan horse on our soil," said Schiess. All the candidates do seem to agree on the key issues--getting the budget under control, and creating jobs.

Mark Neumann:
Balance the budget by eliminating Obamacare

Former Congressman Mark Neumann touted experience. "I've written a five year plan to balance the budget by eliminating
Obamacare, cutting $1.4 trillion out of the budget," Neumann said raising a printed copy of his plan. All the candidates do seem to agree on the key issues--getting the budget under control, and creating jobs.

Scott Walker:
Wisconsin's once strong economy is in need of repair

We have an economic crisis in this state that demands our immediate attention. The solutions we offer must be designed to address both job creation and our budget problems. Wisconsin's once strong economy is in need of repair. Too many of our people are
hurting and too many of our employers are struggling. As I travel the state, I hear too many stories of families struggling to put food on the table; and I learn of too many small businesses who are forced to layoff workers because of the economy.

Source: 2011 Wisconsin State of the State Address
Feb 1, 2011

Ron Johnson:
$184B stimulus drove the country deeper into debt

Feingold voted for the $814 billion economic stimulus measure last year, saying it would create jobs and stabilize the economy. He has defended the vote by saying it created jobs, pointing as proof to the abundance of "under construction"
signs on highways across the state. Johnson says the vote drove the country deeper into debt without providing any meaningful benefits.

Tommy Thompson:
Vetoed 255 spending bills totalling $43M

The 1999-2001 Budget made historic investments in Wisconsin families, provided over $1 billion dollars in tax relief and made unprecedented commitments in education and health care.

Gov. Thompson strengthened the budget by making 255 vetoes to cut a record $43 million in unnecessary spending. The governor also used his veto pen to eliminate $43 million in tax hikes on business, including $31 million in recycling taxes on companies.

Source: Wisconsin Governor’s web site, “Budget”
Dec 25, 2000

The above quotations are from State of Wisconsin Politicians: Archives.